Jack Grendel
Jack Grendel
Genres: country, folk, acoustic, indie, folk rock
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About Jack Grendel
Jack Grendel is an American singer-songwriter, currently residing in Michigan. His music is very heavily influenced by early country, folk, and bluegrass. After a few drinks of whiskey, he is known to tell elaborate, but true, stories of when he lived in the Old West. References to such stories can be found hidden in many of his songs. Most of his music consists simply of a harmonica, guitar, and his harsh, crooning, Dillon-tinged voice. On occasions, he expands his sound with the use of The Twelve Armed Bandits: a back-up band whose members include Nick Ohren, Ted Kindig, Peter Ward, Spenser Blosser, and (occasionally) Lauren Heimburger and Pat Carroll. Grendel plays with a fervor incomparable to most of today's artists. His passion for his songs allows the listener the rare opportunity to feel as though they are experiencing something truly special. And, indeed, they are. Every one of Grendel's fans is a voyeur, peering through the window at one of Michigan's best kept secrets. Jack Grendel's first EP, "Home?", clocks in at under half an hour. But that's all the time it needs. "Home?" begins with a track titled "Enter". The track is exactly what the title suggests. It consists of the sounds of Grendel entering the room and opening his guitar case. This track fades into the next, titled "Run Off." A more perfect opening song could not have been chosen. Comparable to Ryan Adam's "New York, New York," the song is an upbeat, alt-country, instant classic. Next in line is the piano-driven "Ramblin' Blues." Draped in a mysterious and somewhat sinister sound, the song makes the listener feel as though they are sitting in an Old West tavern, listening to the cold, midnight breeze whistle through the cracks in the wall. "Fall Dance" shows the softer side of Grendel. A slower song, it is a bittersweet story of love found then lost. Following "Fall Dance" is "Tired of Seeing Ghosts." Though the music is upbeat, Grendel's crooning voice and heartfelt lyrics take the mood of the song down a few notches, making it yet another beautifully bittersweet experience. Bringing up the rear is what is probably the most memorable song on the album: "Yankee Bones." A slow, sweeping track, "Yankee Bones" is a song not to be missed. The song displays an effective mixture of Grendel's old time influences with his own, original songwriting style. The last sixteen seconds of the EP are dedicated to the exit track, appropriately titled "Exit." The track features the sound of Jack Grendel packing up his guitar and walking away, leaving the listener to fully soak up what they just heard.
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